Land Rover showcases New Defender with dual eSIM connectivity

ABU DHABI: Leading luxury sports utility vehicle (SUV) manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover has showcased the new Defender 90 and 110 at the ongoing Consumer Electronics Show (CES) at Las Vegas. The newest Defender is equipped with a dual eSIM connectivity system which the company claims to be the first of its kind in the world. Besides the dual eSIM, the cars have a dual modem to further boost functionality and connectivity of the car’s infotainment unit.

The dual eSIM system is powered by two Snapdragon 820Am Automotive Platforms. Both have their own integrated Snapdragon X12 modem which allows the car to download over-the-air (OTA) software effortlessly. The updates can be downloaded in the background while passengers continue to listen to music while the car is running.

The latest Defender, courtesy the dual eSIM function, comes with a Pivi Pro infotainment system, which has smartphone-like capabilities. The Pivi Pro unit dominates the car’s dashboard. The high resolution, 10-inch touchscreen enables the driver to control all functions of the car. That aside, it allows connecting two devices simultaneously to the system. This allows both the passenger and the driver to enjoy hands-free connectivity, sans any need to disconnect and/or swap devices. 

Another interesting feature of the new Land Rover Defender is the CloudCar connectivity technology which makes Pivi Pro ultra-easy to use. The infotainment screen can display smartphone QR codes by which users can connect to their online music streaming accounts like TuneIn, Spotify, Deezer, and others. These are automatically added to the CloudCar where the digital audio files are then transferred to the infotainment system. This helps owners to stream music even if they do not have their phones with them. Users can carry their ‘digital profiles’ to other Land Rover cars and instantly get the same experience.

The Pivi Pro also allows users to pay parking fees through the system. RingGo is the first network to join the system.

The Tata Motors-owned company has informed that 16 of the latest Defender’s control modules will support OTA updates, which is expected to increase to 45 by next year.

The 2020 Defender is expected to command an entry-level price of $50,925.

Also Read: Meet the specially commissioned Overfinch Land Rover Defender